Hockey cautious on disability plan

SHADOW treasurer Joe Hockey has again injected a cautionary note into the timing of the Coalition's commitment to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, declaring that it would require a ''strong surplus'' to fund it.

A day after Opposition Leader Tony Abbott stressed his backing for the scheme, which he said he would, if elected, deliver ''as quickly as we reasonably can'', Mr Hockey was less upbeat. The shadow treasurer has consistently emphasised the funding restraints on the scheme under the Liberals.

''We've said you've got to have good strong surpluses to be able to pay for it,'' he told Sky TV. ''The bottom line is the government hasn't got good strong surpluses, and I seriously doubt that it will have a fair dinkum surplus.

''So ultimately the government's going to be borrowing money to pay for this, and ultimately Australians will see that as unsustainable.''

But he also said that only the Coalition would deliver a full NDIS, as well as real reform in education ''because we're the only ones that can pay for it''.

''Under us you will get a full NDIS when we can afford it, and Australia at the moment cannot afford it because the government has only committed $1 billion out of even an initial $3.9 billion. And after that it's estimated to be $8 billion a year, which for a household on $67,000 a year is an extra thousand dollars of tax per year.''

Mr Abbott said on Monday there was ''no negativity'' within the Coalition towards the scheme; it would ask questions about the detail and the funding but ''we are not there to carp''.